Spring can be SO busy. Our group of girls hasn’t been able to find a date that worked for all of us in awhile but luckily we got together May 8 and we had a fiesta! It all came together better than I expected and every dish paired well together.

We started with pineapple margaritas (and shots of tequila 😳😬) and sat down for Mexican shrimp cocktail, Mexican crab dip and a Spanish tortilla made with white sweet potatoes along with siete chips and guacamole…. this was just the beginning. Dinner in the dining room was cabbage rolled enchilada chicken with mushrooms and “refried beans” which is actually made from eggplant and is incredible. Finally, Coconut milk flan 🍮.

I followed the recipe pretty closely. I omitted garlic powder and used Sir Kensington’s Ketchup. Served in my great grandmother’s glasses.

I completely winged this Mexican crab dip. I was originally going to make these Tex Mex Crabcakes (and replace the ritz crackers with almond flour) but I changed my mind thinking about standing over the stove cooking while my friends were relaxing. So I combined the crabcake recipe with my crab dip recipe.

1lb lump crabmeat

1/2 red pepper

1 jalapeño

1/4 small red onion

1/2c sir Kensington’s mayo

Pepper to taste

Combine ingredients and bake @ 350 for 20 min.

Guacamole

6 Hass Avocados

2 limes

1/2 jalapeño

1/4 small red onion

Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together.

I normally add cilantro to my guac but I have several friends who don’t like it so I left it out. So, use your judgement. It’s delicious with or without to me. Also, adjust the measurements for the amount of heat you like.

Tortilla Espanola

Back story on this one. One of my best friends always made a Spanish tortilla and it was SO delicious. I avoid white potatoes but have found that white sweet potatoes are very similar for my taste. I didn’t have the recipe for what she used to use so I winged this one too (are you seeing a theme yet?)

9 eggs

1.5 Large white fleshed sweet potatoes

1 large yellow onion

Start by cleaning the potatoes and slicing VERY thin. A mandolin will be a great tool to use but if you don’t have one, get them as thin as possible.

Slice the onion

Heat olive oil in a large pot. (I filled the pot about 2″) sounds like a lot but you don’t use all of the oil.

When the oil is sizzling add the thin potatoes. Move them around a little bit so they don’t burn but become crisp.

Remove them from the oil and add salt (they’re like potato chips)

I couldn’t remember what to do with the onions, so I threw them into the oil for a few minutes.

Whisk the eggs and add in the onions and potatoes

Lastly, my friend would use a frittata pan but I just snagged a cast iron pan at Macy’s on sale and was antsy to use it.

Add a few tbsps of the oil to the bottom of the pan and then add the egg mix. Cook on medium heat going around the edge of the pan with a spatula. Once it was fairly set I baked for 10-15 minutes on 350. Top with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.

Dinner

Enchilada Cabbage Rolls

I used my enchilada sauce recipe that I posted in A 35th Fiesta. I added chicken thighs and cooked them on low in the sauce for about 4 hours. They shredded nicely and were so juicy.

Sautéed mushrooms

Cabbage leaves

Remove the leaves from the cabbage wash and boil for about 3 minutes covered in a large pot. Pat dry and let cool.

We had such a wonderful Easter this year. Busy, but relaxing at the same time. I was so happy with the meal we had and I was completely humbled to be paid a great compliment. One of our guests said he hadn’t had fall apart lamb since his mother made it and it brought him back to his childhood. The flavor combinations were so good. I ended up making two lambs because my grandmother doesn’t eat any spices, so I just did a tiny bit of salt and pepper, chicken broth, and a squeeze of lemon. I baked uncovered in my cast iron pan at 450 for 30 minutes, covered and turned down to 350 for 3 hours. I was expecting to bake another 30 minutes but my lamb had a pop up timer that popped up. I left it covered for about an hour (maybe a little longer) and it was still hot, juicy and tender. It sliced like butter. I used this Slow roasted leg of lamb recipe. Next time I’m going to adjust my timing, although, cast iron pot recipes can be very forgiving. The food stays hot for awhile so it’s good to use for dinner parties.

My kids ate a ton more sugar than I was planning on them having… but they enjoyed themselves. Watching them help each other hunt for eggs was so sweet and melted my heart. (I think I cried about 8 times throughout the day because there was so much love in our house).

Our dinner guests own the Cheese Chalet in Wilmington, DE and they brought a delicious Greek antipasto. It paired perfectly with the meal.

The cookies I made aren’t paleo, but they’re a family recipe and I always indulge in a couple of them. I skipped the carrot cake because it was just too much to have. The almond cake was delicious though. I just topped it with berries ( next time I’m doing a glaze though!!) Lemon Almond Flour Cake Recipe

Have you ever noticed how many candy holidays there are? When my kids wake up to candy, it’s not like they say “ok, I’ll have one piece and spread all this candy out over the next couple weeks”. It’s a free for all and they try to shove in as much candy as possible before I hide it. That’s why I limit candy (unless it’s Halloween, they get a pass). Depending what my kids (3 and 4) are interested in, I usually go with that theme for a basket and then get one shared gift that’s from mommy and daddy. We splurged one year and went for a water table 🤣. This year, they got new bikes. Not necessarily shared, but they both outgrew their old bikes! Sticking to the basket though, my choices are below:

Play doh- not my favorite, but the kids love it and it’s great for building hand strength.

Bathing suit/beach towel- with summer approaching you’ll be buying new anyway, why not let the bunny take care of it?

Books- from superheroes to princesses, books are always a good choice. I chose a small prayer book for this year.

Costume jewelry/lipgloss- my daughter is a GIRLY girl. She always loves putting my lipstick and jewelry on. There’s play makeup that would fit nicely in an Easter basket. My son loves dress up masks and hats.

Toothbrush/toothpaste- if my kids haven’t picked up on it yet, Santa and the Easter Bunny are both big on oral healthcare 🤣 stockings and Easter baskets every year. We get the themed spinbrush ones

Small nerf guns- both of my kids are getting a small nerf gun this year. I’m sure I’m going to regret all the little bullets

My kids do get candy in their baskets. I limit it to a few pieces though and try to find unique candy. I picked up a few things at Homegoods for this year. I just try to stick to candy they don’t see often. Happy Easter!!

I love holidays; I am a serial hostess after all. Easter has never really been one of my favorites even though I have fond memories of spending the week at the beach. My grandmother would walk to church and come back to the house singing “glory, glory hallelujah” on Palm Sunday. I can hear it like it was yesterday. She no longer sings (except for birthdays) and we don’t get down to the beach as much as we used to. With kids, I actually prefer to spend the holidays at home. I haven’t fully decided on my menu, but here are the options I’m going to choose from.

Appetizers

Greek antipasto from the Cheese Chalet on Limestone Rd in Wilmington, DE

I’ve been really into white fleshed sweet potatoes! They aren’t quite as sweet as an orange sweet potato or yam. They lend themselves to be more like a white potato. I cut them into cubes, coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 425 for about 20-25 minutes depending on how small your cubes are.

Cinnamon Roasted Carrots

Cut or baby carrots

Cinnamon

Olive oil or coconut oil

Coat carrots in oil

Sprinkle with cinnamon and a pinch of salt

Bake @425 for 25 minutes (less if you like crunchier carrots) serve whole or throw in the food processor with some of the olive oil and make a rice or a mash.

When I was pregnant with my son (my first born) I would crave cinnamon buns. I was so weight conscious that I would try to find substitutes for the flavor. Cinnamon cereal did the trick. Since giving up grains, I still crave that sugary cinnamon sweetness and these cookies definitely did it. They’re so chewy and have a rich cinnamon flavor. I’m not going to lie, I just inhaled 4. I don’t regret it though. With simple ingredients and no refined sugar they’re not an awful choice.

Ingredients

2c almond flour

1/2tsp baking soda

1/4tsp kosher salt

6 tablespoons maple syrup

4tsp melted coconut oil

2tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2c flaked coconut

1tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all ingredients together and form into a dough. Use a tablespoon to plop dough onto a cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies so they bake evenly (they won’t spread).